1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a muzzle brake of a weapon or weapon system, in particular for small-caliber and medium-caliber weapons, that has a reduced external signature with regard to heat and/or propellant gas emissions. To this end, the propellant gas emerging from the gun barrel is directed in a conventional manner onto the gas outlet openings of the muzzle brake in order to impinge thereon—to absorb the recoil—and then be guided further toward the rear and cooled in the process.
2. Description of the Background Art
Muzzle brakes have the task of deflecting to the side or the rear the powder gases that flow out in the forward direction after the passage of the projectile, thus using the combustion gases to reduce the recoil of the barrel. Immediately after the projectile has left the barrel, the pressurized combustion gases of the propellant charge emerge from the barrel, and in so doing partially strike the baffle surfaces of the muzzle brake. The combustion gases are deflected at right angles, or even slightly rearward, by the baffle surfaces, thereby transferring a part of their energy to the muzzle brake and thus to the barrel. As a result of striking the muzzle brake, the energy of the combustion gases acting in the direction of fire acts in opposition to the rearward-directed recoil, reducing it.
A muzzle brake with baffle surfaces and deflection is also known from EP 0 723 131 B1 (DE 696 04 097 T2), which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,107. In the opinion of the opposition division handling this patent, the cleverness of this solution resides in the fact that two muzzle brakes are combined into one new muzzle brake. How one skilled in the art would see this is questionable. In any case, the propellant gases are deflected through directed gas outlet openings onto a large baffle surface and from there to the outside.
Known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,652 A is a muzzle brake with rearward-deflected baffle surfaces and tubes of a scoop-like design, which are screwed onto the muzzle brake and extend almost to behind the end of the weapon. This design, too, is intended to reduce a recoil of the weapon to the greatest extent possible. For optimal recoil absorption by the muzzle brake, portions of the propellant gases also exit therefrom in the forward direction.
Known from DE 297 11 207 U1 is a recoil damper and muzzle flash suppressor in which the recoil damper is attached by a threaded joint to the recoil damper carrier, with a separator plate having multiple gas openings being located between them. In this design, the gases flow out of a reinforced part of the barrel through two laterally placed openings into the recoil damper and into the rear expansion chamber, strike the outer wall and transfer part of their heat, expand, and flow through the separator plate into the recoil damper and through its nozzles and the forward opening to the outside.
EP 1 338 859 A2, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,008, which is incorporated herein by reference, relates to a gun barrel with a muzzle brake in which the gun barrel is part of the muzzle brake. This muzzle brake region is provided with openings that are covered by a casing tube provided with slot-shaped gas outlet openings.
The prior art muzzle brakes all have in common that they have a large intrinsic signature, in particular by means of heat and gas emission, so that the location of the weapon can be detected easily. This is detrimental in that with the detectability, action can be taken against the person(s) who fired the shot.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,065,273 A concerns a recoil-absorbing device for handguns. In this design, gases are deflected via nozzle openings that converge and diverge. Integrated within the device is a container with coolant that cools the deflected gases. This serves to reduce the report and protect the operator from the emitted gases. In addition, the front region of the weapon barrel is cooled.
DE 650 791, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 2,143,596, discloses a gun muzzle brake or recoil-absorbing apparatus for firearms. To prevent burning and toxic gases from being able to exit rearward, a device is incorporated that can trap the gases and divert them towards the front. The openings for discharging the gases are implemented such that they force the gaseous flows to travel in a direction transverse to the axis of the weapon, so that these flows disperse under the effects of centrifugal force. For this purpose, the pitch of the helical openings is opposite to the pitch of the helical grooves of the bore of the weapon.
DE 39 40 807 C discloses a device for protection from muzzle flash effects in guns. In this design, the end region of the cannon barrel is enclosed by a jacket tube, so that an intermediate space exists between the cannon barrel and jacket tube. In the forward region of the jacket tube, a ventilation tube is attached to the jacket tube at a sufficient distance as protection from heat. The part of the ventilation tube attached to the supporting structure and the gas outlet opening, which is supported in a damped manner, can be enclosed with a heat-resistant, sound-absorbing material. A thin-walled, heat-resistant support tube with a matched contour is provided to increase the sound damping and avoid disintegration of the insulating material under shock loading. Mineral fibers are proposed as insulating material.
DE 10 2005 005 595 A1, which concerns a silencer for firearms, proposes for the silencer to additionally include the mechanism of action of a muzzle brake.